How I Met Your Mother - Recap: Down On Bended Knee
Recap and review of How I Met Your Mother - Season 9 Episode 8 - The Lighthouse:
How I Met Your Mother often works best when, like any series looking to tell a succinct story, it narrows its focus. "The Lighthouse" keeps the storytelling tightly focused on three separate storylines that never really connect in any meaningful fashion, yet are resonant all the same, since they're so well done. It's a welcome return to the show's focus on serialized storytelling. Most of the serialization so far this season has come from running gags such as Linus the Bartender handing a steady stream of drinks to Lily (Alyson Hannigan) or the occasional appearance from Marshpillow. But "The Lighthouse" brought the story back around to the more emotional storytelling that has come to characterize this series, making for one of the strongest episodes of the eight that have aired so far this season, anchored by an iconic moment in the show's canon.
The episode divides its time fairly evenly. The storyline that gives "The Lighthouse" its title centers on Ted (Josh Radnor) deciding to take Cassie (Anna Camp) to the most romantic location in Farhampton, the titular lighthouse overlooking the beauty of the town below. But since this is Ted, everything that can go wrong does, from Cassie falling down the stairs (in what's perceived as a sign from the universe that he's not supposed to be with Cassie), to Ted having to carry the injured woman all the way to the lighthouse, and then up the flights of stairs leading to the top. Ted and Cassie have almost nothing to talk about, because they have almost nothing in common. They're virtually strangers, and mismatched ones, at that. Ted begins to wonder if he's brought the wrong girl up to this lighthouse, and contemplates his life choices, which have basically amounted to taking an entire roster of "wrong girls" for him. Lily had tried to convince Ted that the perfect girl isn't simply going to fall out of the sky when he wants her to, yet he's still down on his circumstances in life. And right as he and Cassie seem like they might soon have a moment together, he vomits over the edge of the lighthouse to seal the perfect end to a completely disastrous date.
But as we eventually see, it wasn't all for nothing. We flashforward to two years later, where Ted has finally found "the one," The Mother (Cristin Milioti). From the way The Mother talks about the view, we recognize just how similar she and Ted are in terms of their respective mindsets. Ted is clearly happy, and blissfully so, and so it should come as no surprise that he eventually proposes marriage to her. Although I suppose it is a surprise that we get to see that proposal here and now. "The Lighthouse" offers one of the most iconic, significant moments in the series canon, as we see Ted's proposal to The Mother. Granted, it would have had a lot more resonance if we knew The Mother a little bit more than we do now -- which is to say hardly at all -- but Radnor and Milioti's chemistry more than makes up the difference, and The Mother's tearful reaction to the proposal is a moment worth the nine year wait.
Credit: CBS
Also worth the emotional investment is Robin's (Cobie Smulders) feud with Barney's mother, Loretta (Frances Conroy). The two women continue not getting along, stemming from their blow-up during the poker game not too long ago. And so we eventually have Robin challenging Loretta to a scrambled eggs cook-off against her own mother, about whom the group knows almost nothing. Robin spends a considerable amount of time during the episode trying to reach her mother to get her to come to Farhampton and face Loretta in the cook-off, as Robin wants to put Loretta in her place by beating her at her own game, since Loretta's scrambled eggs are apparently world-renowned, having inspired bands like ZZ Top and Pink Floyd. Yet Robin's mother never shows, and to make matters more poignant, Loretta learns from Barney that Robin can never have kids. These developments come together to make for one of the more emotionally-resonant scenes in at least a season, as Loretta makes amends with Robin, pulling her in for a tearful hug and telling her to call her "Mom," and only "Mom." It's a beautiful moment made all the more resonant by Barney's (Neil Patrick Harris) affirmation that he isn't marrying Robin to produce a family, he's marrying her because she's more important to him than anything in his life. It's a fairly simple, straightforward plotline, but that makes it all the more effective.
Even the business with Marshall (Jason Segel) and Daphne (Sherri Shepherd) is solid, as the duo is pushed to the edge by the appearance of Ted's hippie stepfather Clint. Though Clint is obnoxious with his zen, conflict resolution philosophy, he eventually helps Marshall and Daphne come to a resolution, uniting them in common hatred of this crazy man. The storyline even addresses Marshall's baggage of Lily's anger at his decision to accept a position as judge without consulting her, as Daphne tells Marshall that he needs to start thinking about himself a bit more. Of course, this leads to him flipping out on Daphne and forcing her to listen to “500 Miles” by the Proclaimers (in a wonderful callback to his earlier road trips in college with Ted). “I hate this song,” Daphne declares, to which Marshall coldly responds, “Give it time.” (The best line reading of the episode) It's a succinct storyline that doesn't stall the resolution with Lily that we know is coming, even though it doesn't really move the storyline forward either (although the sight of Lily repeatedly crushing drink glasses at the mention of anything having to do with the law or court is a tremendous bit of physical comedy that Alyson Hannigan plays well). It's simply a light bit of character development, and undoubtedly necessary to move Marshall towards his storyline's end when the time comes.
Credit: CBS
"The Lighthouse" is solid from front to back, and the emotional approach to the narrative pays dividends thanks to an ensemble that continues to deliver each week.